The present invention generally relates to golf courses and methods of playing golf. More specifically, the present invention relates to golf courses in which multiple golf holes are played from a single golf ball hitting area and methods of playing golf on such golf courses.
Over the last decade the golf industry has witnessed a growth of unparalleled precedence. As we move into the 21st Century, player access to golf is limited by land use, space, ecological problems, the number of people playing the game, weather conditions, financial costs and the length of time required to play a round of golf, for example. More populated areas have failed to keep pace with the astronomically growing player demand for golf.
Alternatives to playing ordinary golf have not satisfied the desires or demands of golfers to play golf. Golf driving ranges, short courses (par 3 and short ball), video and virtual reality games fail to provide a real and complete golf playing alternative. One of the most enjoyable aspects of playing golf is the ability to shoot a controlled golf club shot and watch one""s golf ball fly through the air and land on target. Such desired aspects of ordinary golf have not been met by existing alternatives to playing ordinary golf.
A round of eighteen (18) holes of ordinary golf played on a typical golf course generally requires a substantial amount of time. A relatively fast round of eighteen holes of golf can take approximately four hours to play, and it is not uncommon for a round of golf to take five hours or more. This time requirement to play golf can discourage and prohibit players from playing golf.
Typical golf courses are laid out over a relatively large area of land. Golfers must either walk the course or ride in a golf cart. However, some golfers may not have the physical ability to walk a golf course, and the use of golf carts may not be desired, for example for ecological reasons.
Traditional golf courses are permanently installed at the location chosen for the course. In other words, traditional golf courses are xe2x80x9cbuilt intoxe2x80x9d the landscape and terrain, with changes to the landscape and terrain being made as desired. Accordingly, ordinary golf courses cannot be moved to a new location or easily modified. Also, golf courses may not be built in certain areas because those areas do not provide the desired landscape and terrain for a golf course. Traditional golf courses are quite expensive to plan, construct, modify and maintain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,224 is entitled xe2x80x9cConvenient Golf Game with Adjustable Out-of-Bounds Markers,xe2x80x9d and was issued on Jul. 26, 1994. The ""224 patent pertains to a convenient golf game with adjustable out-of-bounds markers which has enclosed tee areas with doors that can be manually or automatically moved to coincide with particular out-of-bounds markers. The doors may be pivoted or slidable. Golf shots can be made to a fairway that has a number of greens.
The present invention provides new golf courses and methods of playing golf. The golf course allows a round of golf to be played in a short period of time and by golfers of all abilities, even golfers with physical disabilities. The majority of non-playing time is removed from the game because golfers do not travel (walk or ride) throughout the course from one hole to the next. Golfers hit all golf shots from the golf ball hitting area. A nine hole round of golf can be played in less than one-half hour and an eighteen hole round can be played in less than one hour. Golf can be played on the new golf course in various weather conditions. Accordingly, the golf course provides more golfers with the ability to play golf. A typical 18 hole golf course requires 120 to 150 acres of land, whereas golf courses of the present invention may require less than 4 percent of that acreage to accommodate the capacity of a 36 hole golf course.
The golf course is portable because the components are easily removable. The golf course can be set-up and played for specific events and then moved to a new location as desired. The portability, modularity and ease of maintenance of the golf courses provide relatively inexpensive golf courses (and golf courses which can be easily modified) as compared to the cost to design, construct, maintain and modify traditional golf courses.
Golf courses of the present invention can be portable or permanently installed. A portable installation allows for temporary use of the golf course, for example for a specific event or tournament. The golf course can be easily relocated to a new location when desired.
One new golf course according to the present invention includes a golf ball hitting area used for a plurality of golf holes, a plurality of target greens spaced at various distances from the golf ball hitting area, a target chipping area adjacent the golf ball hitting area and a putting green adjacent the golf ball hitting area. Simulated hazards may also be provided and spaced away from the golf ball hitting area. Examples of the simulated hazards include water hazards, sand traps or bunkers, rough and various combinations of those hazards.
The target greens and hazards are constructed of modular sections in which each section has a frame and a fabric panel which is color coded to designate a particular golf course feature. For example, target greens are made from various green colored sections, sand traps are made from various white colored sections, and water hazards are made from various blue colored sections. The sections are modular and can be combined or arranged as desired. Rough fairway areas can be made from brightly contrasting chartreuse or optical yellow color materials which contrast to the green color for the target greens. The frames for the various sections may be fully or partially covered with the fabric. For example, a frame for a green section may be fully covered with green fabric and frames for hazard sections (water, rough and sand trap) may have banners or pennants. Also, the sections are height adjustable for fine tuning of the course and can increase player visibility of the sections. The modular sections may be permanently installed, or removably installed which allows the golf course to be portable.
The golf ball hitting area may include a tee shot hitting area, a fairway shot hitting area, a sand hitting area, a rough hitting area and various combinations of those areas. Protective netting may be provided around the golf ball hitting area. Netting provided in front of the golf ball hitting area can be adjusted to simulate out-of-bounds and can be fully closed for practicing golf shots.
Various distance markers can be placed along the length of the golf course. The target chipping area may have various target cups or locations which include a flag on a pole and also distance markers spaced away from the target cups. The putting green may have various holes to simulate different green layouts and putting distances.
Another golf course according to the present invention may include a plurality of golf ball hitting areas adjacent each other and a set of target greens spaced at various distances from the golf ball hitting areas, in which all of the golf ball hitting areas are associated with the same set of target greens. A target chipping area may be positioned adjacent the golf ball hitting areas. The target chipping area has a plurality of target cup locations and a distance indicator indicative of various distances from the target cup locations. Each target cup location is associated with one of the golf ball hitting areas. A putting green is adjacent the golf ball hitting areas and has a plurality of target cups.
One method of making a golf course according to the present invention includes providing a golf ball hitting area used for a plurality of golf holes, providing a plurality of target greens spaced at various distances from the golf ball hitting area, providing a target chipping area adjacent the golf ball hitting area and providing a putting green adjacent the golf ball hitting area. The method of making the golf course may also include providing at least one simulated hazard spaced away from the golf ball hitting area. The method may also include providing the golf ball hitting area with areas which may include a tee shot hitting area, a fairway shot hitting area, a sand hitting area, a rough hitting area and combinations of those areas.
One method of playing golf according to the present invention includes selecting a target green from a plurality of target greens spaced at various distances from a golf ball hitting area, hitting a golf ball from the golf ball hitting area toward the selected target green, determining a remaining distance between the golf ball and the selected target green, selecting a target green which has a distance from the golf ball hitting area corresponding to the remaining distance (i.e., a distance equal, closest or nearest to the remaining distance) and hitting the golf ball from the golf ball hitting area toward the next target green. The steps are repeated until the golf ball is on the selected target green. The method of playing golf may include rounding the remaining distance to be about equal to the distance the next target green is from the golf ball hitting area. The method may also include hitting the golf ball towards the target chipping area adjacent the golf ball hitting area when the remaining distance is less than a distance from the golf ball hitting area to a target green closest to the golf ball hitting area by a predetermined amount. The method of playing golf may further include placing the golf ball on a putting green adjacent the golf ball hitting area when the golf ball lands on the last selected target green and putting the golf ball. The golf ball may be placed on the putting green at a distance from a cup which is equal to the same actual distance that the ball lies from the target pin in the target green. Alternatively, the golf ball may be placed on the putting green at a predetermined distance from a cup depending on the ball""s resting position on the target green, for example 10 ft., 20 ft. or 40 ft. predetermined putting distances.
The golf course of present invention is easily installed on existing driving range facilities on public and private courses which provides for more golf use without an excessive economic burden on course or land or economic resources. It is easy to retrofit the driving range or a portion of an existing driving range with the new golf course. Furthermore, methods of playing golf of the present invention allow for golf course teaching lessons and the conduct of professional tournaments in a shorten time frame without burdening course resources or player access.
Objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading this disclosure including the appended claims and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The objects and advantages may be desired, but are not necessarily required to practice the present invention.